Prospect Info: Jesperi Kotkaniemi Part II

[DramaticGloveSave]

i was glad Kot scored a goal, just so i could come on here and read all the rediculous comments about how one pre-season goal will hail him as our next franchise hero and saviour.....Kot with an easy 40+ goals in his rookie season, this kid will put matthews and hughes to shame!....just look at the goal he scored in his first game!

Ryan McLoed would have been way better.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

I disagree big time. Improving step by step is benefical and players can develop bad habits, more pressure by starting their career too early and they flop. There are many cases in many sports.

Pacioretty used to be a in a yo-yo between the NHL and AHL and the habs finally decided to keep him the AHL as a top player for a significant period anf it helped him get his confidence back. He admited that was the best thing for his career.

Plekanec came in as an overweight player with skating issues for his size. He played significant time in the AHL and he improved a lot during these years and when he finally played in the NHL he was very mature and a way better player.

Playing a kid early could have a huge impact in his development and we have been burned in the past.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

The only reason Gallagher played in the AHL is that there was a lockout!

I'm pretty sure he would've made the team out of camp.

He did not and that helped him getting ready for the NHL.

 

[Whitesnake]

I'm guessing if given the choice, Kotkaniemi may choose Laval but not because of Bouchard or anything related to development, but more for Laval being so close, a call up would be easier.

Thing is, right now the #1C position in Liiga is his to lose. I am not saying he is better or worse than the following, but he will have to beat at least a few of these guys for a top-9 center spot in Laval:

Chaput
Evans
Vejdemo
Alain
Verbeek
McCarron
DLR/Peca/Froese

If you want a straight answer from me, I think Kotkaniemi is better than half those guys, but nonetheless, Laval has to win also. They won't just give him a #1C or #2C spot, though he may earn it eventually.

Anyhow, end of the day, he needs to be where he can succeed best. For all we know, Assat has a skating and strength and conditioning coach lined up while Laval doesn't have anyone. I don't think Assat will be good this year though, so I can see that as a valid reason to send him to Laval.

Despite the win last night, I am not expecting a good year for the pro team. With Kotkaniemi in Laval, the temptation to call him up will be too great. I'm fine if he's earned it and is ready. He looked good last night, but let's be honest, that was a terrible team NJD put on the ice.

Not sure what you mean. Habs have all that. All those strength, skating and so on. You think they don't give those guys to our prospects? Kotka will beat those guys in Laval. And if he doesn't so be it, every prospect is different, if for some it's better to stay in Europe, for others it's fine to play in the AHL.

 

[Belial]

He did not and that helped him getting ready for the NHL.

So Sly is a good coach at the end of the day? He made an NHLer out of Gallagher?

 

[Mrb1p]

Id much rather give some playing time to Vejdemo in his first year as a pro and other forwards than keep Kotkaniemi there.

My plan is as follows:

Mete and Juulsen down in the AHL to develop their offense, maybe we call one of two of them mid season, maybe not.
Suzuki starts in the NHL in the top 6, gets to go to WJC.
Kotkaniemi in Finland. Assess his situation next year, not out of question to have him start in the NHL next year, but AHL is a good option too.
Poehling gets the same treatment next year. I'd try to stagger their development. Put both of them in direct competition for the NHL spot at top 9 C, one in the AHL on in the NHL.

Staggering development is something really important that none of you is taking into account here, you cannot develop five prospects at the same time.

 

[Mrb1p]

So Sly is a good coach at the end of the day? He made an NHLer out of Gallagher?

Gallagher was coached by Boucher, not Sly.

 

[Redux91]

I love his reaction to the goal , like instantly he's not quite sure how to celebrate a "pre-season" goal, but then you hear the crowd noise erupt and the horn going off and teammates coming to him to celebrate as if it were any other legit goal

and then you just see the smiles cracking on his face, it might be a pre-season goal...but its an NHL pre-season goal, Welcome to the show bud, all we ask is a good first impression

i also believe he should go back to finland for 1 more year tho.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

So Sly is a good coach at the end of the day? He made an NHLer out of Gallagher?

What? I never talked about Sly.

Sly was a bad coach, end of the story. Playing in the AHL (who ever is the coach) was good for Gallagher to learn and see how pro play. It was a short stint (Sly could not ruin his confidence like he did with everybody else) and performed well enough to get a role with the main team.

 

[Schwang]

I disagree big time. Improving step by step is benefical and players can develop bad habits, more pressure by starting their career too early and they flop. There are many cases in many sports.

Pacioretty used to be a in a yo-yo between the NHL and AHL and the habs finally decided to keep him the AHL as a top player for a significant period anf it helped him get his confidence back. He admited that was the best thing for his career.

Plekanec came in as an overweight player with skating issues for his size. He played significant time in the AHL and he improved a lot during these years and when he finally played in the NHL he was very mature and a way better player.

Playing a kid early could have a huge impact in his development and we have been burned in the past.

Kots needs to fill out more and mature. If they kept him in the nhl, guaranteed he’ll get caught with his head down and then it’s game over.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I love his reaction to the goal , like instantly he's not quite sure how to celebrate a "pre-season" goal, but then you hear the crowd noise erupt and the horn going off and teammates coming to him to celebrate as if it were any other legit goal

and then you just see the smiles cracking on his face, it might be a pre-season goal...but its an NHL pre-season goal, Welcome to the show bud, all we ask is a good first impression

i also believe he should go back to finland for 1 more year tho.

It was nice to see for sure! The moment when the crowd was buzzing and cheering after the goal and he was on the bench... A few players said something to him and I bet is was like.. "Welcome to the Bell Center Eagle!" It's just a taste of how passionate the fans are.

 

[NotProkofievian]

Lol, classic.

 

[muzion]

This idea that he needs to play in Laval to get used to NA ice doesn't make sense to me. Are people saying Elias Pettersson and Miro Heiskanen are worse today because they didn't taste a NHL training camp last year? If he goes back to Finland he's going to show up next year and adapt instantly. It's not going to have any bearing on the rest of his career.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Kots needs to fill out more and mature. If they kept him in the nhl, guaranteed he’ll get caught with his head down and then it’s game over.

I'm more concerned with the wear and tear of the more physical men in the NHL and even AHL. It would suck bad if he gets a nagging shoulder injury from one good hit to the boards or like you said, a massive hit when he is not expecting it.

Gradual progression is the smart move here.

 

[Habs Halifax]

This idea that he needs to play in Laval to get used to NA ice doesn't make sense to me. Are people saying Elias Pettersson and Miro Heiskanen are worse today because they didn't taste a NHL training camp last year? If he goes back to Finland he's going to show up next year and adapt instantly. It's not going to have any bearing on the rest of his career.

It's just good intentions on various Habs fans and taking different directions on how we should proceed with him. He can certainly learn the NA game after he improves his production playing center full time in Finland. I totally agree with you

 

[BB88]

Oh you mean coordination with their hands? Then I agree. But in terms of body coordination, I give a significant edge to Pool.

Pulju is bigger than Kotka, (& Kotka is bigger than Pasta), but Kotka is safer player for a team than Pulju, and likely better pro player at 18y than Pulju.

If Pulju ever learns the controll he'll be a beast.

 

[Belial]

Gallagher was coached by Boucher, not Sly.

Check your facts, buddy...

What? I never talked about Sly.

Sly was a bad coach, end of the story. Playing in the AHL (who ever is the coach) was good for Gallagher to learn and see how pro play. It was a short stint (Sly could not ruin his confidence like he did with everybody else) and performed well enough to get a role with the main team.

Sure...

Gallagher was already ready for the NHL!

The guy's been playing the same way since he's a kid.

 

[Schwang]

I'm more concerned with the wear and tear of the more physical men in the NHL and even AHL. It would suck bad if he gets a nagging shoulder injury from one good hit to the boards or like you said, a massive hit when he is not expecting it.

Gradual progression is the smart move here.

Yes for sure. No need to rush Kots or Suzuki. They aren’t physically or mentally ready. It’s highly unlikely the Habs are going anywhere this year anyway, so why risk injury to your top prospects. Besides, they’ll already have Sherbak, Hudon, Mete, Juulsen and I think Peca is young too.

 

[Price is Wright]

I agree. I don’t think how prospects are “handled” has anywhere near the impact folks think it does. Either you’re a player or you aren’t.

If a player has undeniable talent it will come out. If a player has issues they need to work out, it's better to do it in junior or Europe or AHL because the pressure is lower. If you goto the NHL at 18 and you got a skating issue, management will have a lot less patience with your skating problem than if you just played outside of their space until you turned 20 and had experience outside the eyes of the league.

To use an example, Anaheim was lucky they had a lockout. Ryan Getzlaf spent a solid two years working on his skating because he grew six inches in his teens from WHL draft to NHL draft. He needed to work into his body. Could he have played bottom six in the NHL at 19 if there wasn't a lockout? Maybe. But he might have got pegged as a bottom six guy from that time and struggled to earn better minutes. Maybe the talent breaks him out, but coming to the league now grown into his body made him the player he has been.

Folks also have to been less critical about if a player is always outscoring their earlier seasons. High skill players often ask for coaches to put them in defensive situations in their late seasons to get ready to back check in the NHL. That cuts their offensive opportunities down.

That all said, the best place in the world to learn how to play in the NHL? That's the NHL. That will never change. But if a player has things they need to grind out of their game, or aspects they need to learn before hitting the big game, that's why a year or two in the juniors helps.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Yes for sure. No need to rush Kots or Suzuki. They aren’t physically or mentally ready. It’s highly unlikely the Habs are going anywhere this year anyway, so why risk injury to your top prospects. Besides, they’ll already have Sherbak, Hudon, Mete, Juulsen and I think Peca is young too.

Exactly. We have plenty NHL ready players and a decent group in the AHL already. No need to force anything. Let Kotkaniemi go to Finland and Suzuki back to the CHL. Let them mature and grow and show us what they got at the world juniors when they will be playing against the best 18 and 19 year olds in the world.

 

[BaseballCoach]

It's just good intentions on various Habs fans and taking different directions on how we should proceed with him. He can certainly learn the NA game after he improves his production playing center full time in Finland. I totally agree with you

I think Habs brass needs to make a decision. If they think Eagle can get 0.5 ppg in the AHL, start him there; if not, send him back to Finland.

I think he will need AHL time before graduating either way.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Yes for sure. No need to rush Kots or Suzuki. They aren’t physically or mentally ready. It’s highly unlikely the Habs are going anywhere this year anyway, so why risk injury to your top prospects. Besides, they’ll already have Sherbak, Hudon, Mete, Juulsen and I think Peca is young too.

Peca is 2 years older than DeLaRose, 2 1/2 years older than Scherbak and Lehkonen..

 

[Redux91]

Ryan McLoed would have been way better.

What you did there, i see it.

 

[Tyson]

Gallagher was coached by Boucher, not Sly.

Actually Gallagher played 36 AHL games all under Lefebvre

 

[Milhouse40]

There's 10 good reasons why Kotkaniemi should go back to Finland rather than Laval.
Instead of telling you what are those 10 reasons, you can see all of them in one picture: